Third Coast Comics

The shop: Carefully organized by nontraditional categories such as local authors, small press, vintage and even tough female protagonists, Third Coast Comic is an independently- owned spot for comics, graphic literary novels and local- events in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. Decorated in bright classic comic book colors, the unintimidating atmosphere welcomes experts and novices alike.

The owner: Local human comic encyclopedia, Terry "Doc Midnight" Gant, is the enthusiastic owner of Third Coast Comics. He swears he can match the perfect comic book or graphic novel with a shopper, with little more than a five minute conversation, and loves to dispel the myth that all comics and graphic novels are about superheroes in capes, but rather than there is a wealth of literary options in the illustrated world. Gant, a Chicago native, bought his first comic book, "The Uncanny X-Men," for twenty-five 25 cents at age seven and now boasts a personal collection of over more than 30,000 comics.

Read local: With an inventory of, quite literally, thousands of graphic novel and comics titles, Third Coast holds a variety of community-based events throughout the week (including a regular knitting club, a book club and, recently, a wedding reception). and The shop clearly displays its support of both mid-sized to smaller publishers and local work in large sections entirely devoted to each in the well-organized, colorful shop.